Methods and systems for providing mobile consent verification

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments provide a method for initiating and storing consent verification between a user and another person planning to engage in an intimate activity. The method can include the steps of preparing a consent request by the user; sending the consent request to the person; time-stamping the sending of the consent request with the time and date; recording the GPS location of the sending of the consent request; receiving the consent request by the other person; and storing the interactions between users, the entries and edits thereto of any journal entries, and allowing for updates to the resources through the stored databases.

CROSS-RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/377,202, filed Apr. 6, 2019, entitled “Methods and Systems forProviding Mobile Consent Verification”, which claims the benefits of andpriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/786,738,filed Dec. 31, 2018, entitled “Methods and Systems for Providing MobileConsent Verification”, both of which are incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The Politics of Sex have always been a challenge for people and forsociety, such as in entertainment, in business, in government, insports, in music, in colleges and, of course, in high school. Today, thepress is teeming with news accounts of allegations of sexual abuse,sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct as victims, newly empowered bythe public toppling of institutions of victim suppression, come forwardwith their stories. This long overdue empowerment of victims, especiallythose previously threatened into silence, and the willingness of apublic to embrace their devastating stories, comes with some pitfallsthat cannot be ignored. When allegations alone can trigger the downfalland destruction of an accused almost instantaneously, it opens the doorfor false allegations by the vindictive, the charlatans, thefame-seekers, the lawyers, the mentally ill, the easily influenced, andeven the delusional. All of this becomes even more complex when thosetasked with getting to the truth must vet conflicts that have occurredin the present, or recent or even distant past.

In addition, there is a vast segment of society that still needs thetools and resources to be able to report with confidence and withevidence if and when they choose to make the difficult choice of comingforward. Finally, much confusion remains across society (particularly inthe various segments mentioned above) as to where the lines are drawnfrom acceptable behavior all the way to criminal behavior. Accordingly,new methods and systems are needed for providing on-line verifiedconsent before people enter into a sexual relationship, for keepinglegally sound evidence of potentially unlawful conduct, and forincreasing awareness and understanding for both the victim andperpetrator.

SUMMARY

Current approaches to addressing the issues of sexual harassment, sexualabuse, and other violations of consent, focus on punishment instead ofprevention. In contrast, disclosed herein is a consent verificationsystem, which is focused on solutions. Furthermore, the consentverification system provides resources to proactively educate users onthe intricacies of consent and where the line is crossed into sexualharassment or abuse. Accordingly, the consent verification system isfocused on communication and prevention of violations of sexual consent.

Various embodiments provide methods and systems for providing on-lineverified consent before people enter into a sexual relationship. In someembodiments a consent verification system can include one or more datacollection modules and a mobile consent application (a “consent app” orthe “app”). The consent app, which is downloadable to a smart device,provides methods for parties to communicate on their smart devices andto accept (consent to) a sexual relationship between the parties. Theconsent app can communicate with a data collection module, whichtime-stamps each communication and tags the GPS location of thecommunication for encrypted archival and record keeping. The datacollection module can use protocol to meet the evidentiary requirementsto be used in a court of law, or other dispute resolution forums.

Various embodiments provide a consent verification system. The consentverification system can include a consent request module comprising aconsent request repository, a journal module comprising a journalrepository, and a reports module comprising a reports repository. Thesystem can further include a resource database, a profile database, andblocked individuals database.

Various embodiments provide a method for initiating and storing consentverification between a user and a person to engage in an intimateactivity. The method can include the steps of preparing a consentrequest by the user; sending the consent request to another person;time-stamping the sending of the consent request with the time and date;recording the GPS location of the sending of the consent request; andreceiving the consent request by the other person.

The method can include the steps of: preparing a consent response by theother person; sending the consent response to the user; time-stampingthe sending the consent response with the time and date; recording theGPS location of the sending of the consent response; and storing theconsent response tagged with the time stamp and the recorded GPSlocation, both in the database for the user and the database for theother person.

In some embodiments, the method can include the steps of: accepting theconsent request by the other person; agreeing to the consent request toengage in the intimate activity between the user and the other person;agreeing to the consent request in a way that informs an emergencycontact of apparent agreement under duress without alerting the otherperson; time-stamping the agreeing to the consent request with the timeand date; recording the GPS location of the agreeing to the consentrequest; and receiving the agreeing to the consent request by the user;storing the agreeing to the consent request tagged with the time stampand the recorded GPS location, in both the database for the user and thedatabase for the other person.

DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedescription and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary menu on a smartphone for aconsent verification system, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a relational diagram illustrating a method of consent,according to various embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating different repositories in aconsent verification system, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary outline of access todata, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a relational diagram illustrating an exemplary-use case-viewof the software architecture, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating various layers of a consentverification system, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating various exemplary components in abusiness logic layer of a consent verification system, according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary database structurefor a consent verification system, according to various embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary work flow of aforward-facing component of a consent verification system, according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary WebServices of arear-facing component of a consent verification system, according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of creating aprofile for a consent verification system, according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of consentverification, according to various embodiments; and

FIG. 13 is a flow chart that is connected to the flow chart of FIG. 12,which illustrates exemplary methods of emergency communication,according to various embodiments.

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and are not intended to represent all possibleimplementations and are not intended to limit the scope of any of theexemplary embodiments disclosed herein or any equivalents thereof. It isunderstood that the drawings are not drawn to scale. For purposes ofclarity, the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings toidentify similar elements.

DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no wayintended to limit the exemplary embodiments, their applications, oruses. It is understood that the steps within a method may be executed indifferent order without altering the principles of the presentdisclosure. For example, various embodiments may be described herein interms of various functional components and processing steps. It shouldbe appreciated that such components and steps may be realized by anynumber of hardware components configured to perform the specifiedfunctions.

Various embodiments provide methods and systems for providing consentverification. Some embodiments include methods for providing a consentagreement between parties before entering into a sexual relationship.Various methods and systems, described herein, can employ a mobileapplication, which is in communication with a cloud-based systemcomprising one or more data repositories. For example, a consentverification system can comprise a consent repository, a journalrepository, and a report repository. The consent verification system caninclude a downloadable application for mobile smart devices.

Some embodiments provide a consent repository, which allows twoconsenting adults, who are entering into a physically intimaterelationship, to have a mutual agreement that confirms both of theconsenting adults' approval prior to the sexual act. Such a consent ishoused in an immutable storage, which tags each communication betweenthe consenting adults with a time-date stamp and a GPS location.

In some embodiments, the consent verification system provides a journalmodule. The consent verification provides a victim of abuse orharassment the tools to leave a situation—such as the office of asupervisor—and immediately input, into the journal module, theinformation detailing what just occurred. An entry into the journalmodule captures the date-time and the location of an incident momentsafter the occurrence, which is stored in a journal repository. Anemployee, for example, has proof that she/he was actually at the officearea of the supervisor when the incident occurred. The consentverification system can provide the victim (the “user”) the ability totext or call within a consent verification app operating on the victim'ssmartphone. Such a call or text can be captured as a record and taggedwith both a time-date stamp and a geolocation. The journal repositorycan be configured to prompt answers to information critical to any laterevaluation when or if disclosure is ever made by a victim. Such a recordcan provide evidentiary value in any eventual legal or other formalproceeding.

In some embodiments, the consent verification system provides anonymizeddata reporting. The consent verification can capture data, which can beanonymized to deliver statistical reports on consent, harassment, and/orabuse without disclosing personal identifying information. These typesof reports can be useful for garnering media/public attention, aidinglaw enforcement, raising societal awareness, and impacting conduct. Thedata collected could also be used to provide preventative and/orevidentiary value based on an analysis of the back-end repository, whichcan determine if a particular location or person is being identified bymultiple victims. This analysis can generate useful information in anypotential investigation and could be a catalyst for a victim to chooseto come forward or for a false accuser to refrain from making speciousand damaging claims. Thus, the greater the usage, the more powerful theconsent app can be in stopping harassment and abuse.

In some embodiments, the consent verification system provides a resourcecenter for all users. The consent verification system can provideresources for victims to get help, for example, connecting a victim withTimes Up or RAINN. In addition, the consent verification system can beconfigured to provide resources for consenting users, such as, forexample, what constitutes consent and how to understand issues thathierarchical power structures can create in potential relationships aswell as, the impact they can have on the weaker party. As such,education and awareness focused on the potential abuser can lead to adecrease in abusive behavior.

In some embodiments, the consent verification system verifies an expressagreement of consent between two parties contemplating or imminentlyembarking upon a sexual relationship. The consent verification systemcan verify acceptance (consent) to enter into the sexual relationshipwith a press of a key or by entering an acceptance password in theconsent app operating on any smartphone. Users can establish anacceptance password (also referred to herein as an “acceptance code”)that they pledge to keep secret when they download and sign up for theconsent app. The acceptance password is a unique ID that only the userknows. The password is entered by the user to accept a request to enterinto a relationship with the requester. In some configurations, anydisclosure of the acceptance password by the user can be a violation ofthe terms of service of the consent app and can nullify any statement ofverified, mutual consent.

In certain situations, one consenting party may want to withdrawconsent, which can be withdrawn via the consent app and such withdrawalis recorded in both parties' consent repository. Once the partiesconsent, the consent verification system matches their mutual consentinto a coordinated window. A time-date stamp and GPS location are taggedto the original expressed consent. In some configurations, a modifiedrequest can be sent back to the requester, who can accept themodification. Either party can send a withdrawal of consent. If awithdrawal is after the point of mutual consent, the withdrawal can bedone in the coordinated window, with time-date stamps and GPS locationstagged to each of the communications between the parties. This againencourages healthy dialogue between the parties but also tracks thetimeline of ongoing consent between the parties.

Establishing consent protects both parties who are entering into asexual act. Theoretically, no one should be having sex without theconsent of both parties. But miscommunications abound especially when aperson is uncomfortable with the act of sex or with dialogue about sex.And many such a person exists. The consent verification system can takethe complexity out of sexual relations. It reduces unknowns, such aswhat if one party consents, but later revises his or her memory of theencounter.

What if one party does not want to have sex? Having to stop and thinkand commit via consent verification can defuse the pressure to engage inan activity the reluctant party is not sure about. The consent app canbe a deterrent to impulsive and irresponsible sex simply because theconsent app compels the parties to slow down and think.

Clearly sexual predators do not obtain consent before they attack. Andthe greater the public subscription to the consent verification system,the more marginalized and vulnerable the predator. Furthermore, userscan have an emergency code that sends a message to either a trustedcontact or multiple trusted contacts or to authorities immediately,without alerting a potential predator who might be forcing a victim (theuser) to consent.

This might all sound unromantic. But consensual intimacy between peoplewho are openly communicating, expressing desires along withreservations, and acting out of unfettered free will can engender themost satisfying and romantic of sexual relationships, as well as themost legally sound.

The consent verification system provides iron-clad and well-testedsecurity practices, which maintain encryption at every level. Each userhas a unique, private and secure acceptance code. All data and personalinformation are protected by military grade encryption technology. Inthe event of a breach of privacy, or a hacking, any information thatmight be illegitimately accessed or misappropriated, manifests asuseless gibberish because of the encrypted nature of the content. Thisis true at every level of cyber transmission and communication. Thus,private data remains protected until such time, if any, arises that theuser elects otherwise, or disclosure is required by law and withappropriate legal process.

Various embodiments provide methods and systems for providing on-lineverified consent before parties enter into a sexual relationship. Someembodiments provide a mobile consent application (also referred toherein as the “consent app” or the “app”), which is downloadable to asmart device and provides methods for parties to communicate on theirsmart devices to enter into a sexual relationship that agreed upon(consented to) by both of the parties. The consent app can communicatewith a data collection module, which time-date stamps each communicationand tags the GPS location of communication for encrypted archival andrecord keeping. The data collection module can use protocol to meet theevidentiary requirements to be used in a court of law, or other disputeresolution forums.

For example, the consent app can establish written sexual consentbetween parties both legally and in advance. The consent app can belinked to a consent repository, which is configured to store thecommunication between the parties with time and date stamps as well asGPS location tags. The data in the consent repository is encrypted andcannot be altered, edited, or deleted by either party. Either party canaccess their archives and review of one or more of their communicationswith another party. Such a party can add notes to the communicationswhich are time-date stamped in real time and are tagged with the GPSlocation. These notes become part of the archival record and anyalterations, edits, or deletions are recorded in a cumulative historicalrecord of all notes activity.

In some embodiments, the consent app can communicate with a bloodalcohol device to provide a record of a degree of intoxication of theparties entering into a consent agreement, which is time-date stampedand tagged with a GPS location and stored in both parties' consentrepository. The consent app can also provide the means to send a messageto an emergency contact to be automatically generated by the other partywithout the consent requester's knowledge when the other party feelsforced into consenting.

The consent app compels responsible dialogue between the parties about avery consequential decision in a format that is familiar and digestible.The consent app can be configured to demystify and ameliorate some ofthe endemic discomfort associated with dialogue about sex. In someembodiments, the consent app provides tools to prevent miscommunicationsbefore such miscommunication results in devastating results.Accordingly, the consent app can promote healthier sexual or non-sexualrelationships between the parties.

In some embodiments, the consent verification system can include aconsent request module comprising a consent request repository, ajournal module comprising a journal repository, and a reports modulecomprising a reports repository. The consent verification system canfurther include a resource database, a profile database, and blockedindividuals database.

In some embodiments, the consent app can provide a journal moduleconfigured to record and decipher sexual harassment experienced by auser. As such, the consent app can remove the imbalance of power bygiving power back to the powerless. In addition, the consent app canprovide resources for help. The journal module can be linked to ajournal repository, which is configured to store the record of eachharassment event experienced by the user. The data in the journalrepository is encrypted and cannot be altered, edited, or deleted by theuser, however, the record can be added to in order to record additionalor revised impressions of an event or to record another harassment eventby the same person or another person in the same arena or other arena.The data in the journal repository can be sorted by harasser (person),by location (place), and/or by time. The chain of custody and recordkeeping of the journal repository meet or exceed the standards ofcriminal procedure or civil procedure for use of the record as evidence.The journal repository can store the GPS location of each allegedharassment, if the recording is made while still at that location, toprovide further evidence of the truth of the matter asserted.

In addition, the journal module can provide the user the ability to callor text another person (an emergency contact) during a harassment, andthat call, or text not only can send a cry for help but furthermorebecomes part of the record stored in the harassment repository.

In some embodiments, the consent app can provide a journal moduleconfigured to record an abuse (sexual and/or physical and/or power)perpetrated by one person or a group of persons on a user. The journalmodule prompts a verifiable record of the abuse that remainsconfidential until such time, if ever, as a victim (the user) elects totake action. The journal module can be linked to a journal repositoryfor storage of the record of the abuse, which cannot be altered, edited,or deleted by the victim. The journal module provides a record of “firstimpression” of the abuse, which can be valuable evidence for prosecutorsto use in criminal procedures or in dispute resolution forums.

The journal module can be configured to call a friend for help and/or tocall authorities to prevent or stop the abuse. The journal module can beconfigured with a first code to call the friend and a second code toalert the authorities, for example using 911.

In some examples, the journal module can be linked to the microphone ofthe user's smart device and can record the person's abuse of the victim,which is stored as an audio record in the journal repository. In someexamples, the journal module can be linked to the camera of the user'ssmart device and can use video to record a person's abuse of the victim(user) and/or the scene after the abuse and/or the evidence on thevictim's body, which is time-date stamped then tagged with thegeolocation and stored as a video record in the journal repository.First impression notes can be added to either the audio record or thevideo record.

The consent verification system can include a reports module, which canbe configured to collect data anonymously or with identifiableinformation. In a corporate environment, the data can be analyzed aftera complaint to determine if a behavioral pattern exists for the personagainst whom the complaint is made. This analysis can help a companydetermine its risk exposure created by an employee or determine ifproactive measures, such as, training, reorganizing, or intervention,are needed.

The consent app is user-friendly and universally available forsmartphones through the iTunes Store or Google Play sources. The consentapp can be employed by individuals, as well as by corporations, academicinstitutions, health care facilities, and governmental agencies.

Starting with FIG. 1, a diagram illustrating a home screen 100 for aconsent verification system on a smartphone, according to variousembodiments. The home screen 100 can be on a smartphone, which can beany such device now known or developed in the future. The smartphone hasan exemplary consent app installed and operating. The home screen 100can comprise a plurality of buttons configured to move a user to anotherportion of the consent system upon activation.

In this example, the home screen 100 comprises a consent requests button110, a journals button 103, a reports button 104, a resources button105, a profile button 107, a blocked users button 108, a share consentdepot button 111, and a settings button 106. Any of these buttons on thehome screen 100 can be activated by the user to move the user to accessa feature or to enter into a module of the consent verification system.

The journals button 103 is operable to move the user to a page for entryinto a journal module. In some embodiments, the journal button 103 canbe configured to move the user to a page to make a journal entry, whichis tagged with a time-date stamp and GPS location then stored in ajournal repository. For example, activation of the journal button 103allows the user to create a new journal (as described herein), which canbe updated to add further notes to a journal entry. Further, thejournals button 103 can be configured to allow a user to view and edit ajournal entry. In some embodiments, the journal can include “things toconsider” to assist the user while entering information to a new journalentry.

The report button 104 can be configured to move the user to a page togenerate reports from data in the consent repository or in the journalrepository. In some embodiments, activation of the reports button 104allows the user to view, to edit, and/or to print a report.

The resources button 105 can be configured to move the user to a page toaccess resources, such as those discussed herein. For example,activation of the resources button 104 allows the user to access allowsthe user to access various resources, such as, but is not limited to,websites, articles, hotlines, FAQs, definitions, hotlines, selectedlegal information, government agencies, contact information for supportgroups, and the like. In some embodiments, the resources can be updatedduring app software updates or by a Web Server.

The settings button 106 can be configured to move the user to a page toaccess the settings for the consent app. For example, activation of thesettings button 106 allows the user to enter and/or adjust varioussettings in the system, such as, for example, phone settings, screensettings, notification format, alerts, and do-not-disturb hours. In someconfigurations, to log out of the consent app, the user activates thesettings button 106 to access a log out button or to enter a log outcode.

The profile button 107 can be configured to move the user to a page tocreate or edit the user's profile. For example, activation of theprofile button 107 allows the user to enter or modify personal data,such as, but is not limited to, a profile image, first and last name,date of birth, gender, an email address, city, state, zip, pin andemergency code.

The blocked users button 108 can be configured to allow the user toblock one or more undesired people from making requests to the user'sconsent app. For example, activation of the blocked users button 108allows the user to add a person to the blocked user list or remove aperson from the blocked user list.

The consent requests button 110 can be configured to move the user to apage to access a text conversation for an agreement to have an intimatesexual relationship, which is archived in the consent repository, asdiscussed herein. In this example, the consent request button 110 has anumber 9 in a circle on the upper right corner of the button, which is anotification that someone has either started a new conversation, orsomeone has replied to an ongoing conversation.

The share consent app button 111 can be configured to allow the user tosend the app to another person, who can then register and participate ina consent conversation. Of course, the menu 101 can comprise otherbuttons, such as, for example, an emergency button configured to callfor help if the user has become or is about to become a victim of abuse.

In FIG. 2, a relational diagram illustrating a method of consent,according to various embodiments. A method 200 of consent comprisesvarious components or steps to reach consent 201. For example, themethod 200 comprises that the parties (also referred to as “users” or“subscribers”) need to have established a unique password 202 (alsoreferred to as “User ID”). After the parties have enter the system bylaunching the consent verification app and entering their uniquepassword, the parties can have the discussion regarding consent in a“room” within the app 203. If consent is reached, formalized consent isentered with a date and time stamp 204 and stored in a consentrepository. If one of the parties changes their mind, withdrawal ofconsent is executed in the same room 205 and is entered with a date andtime stamp, and then stored in the consent repository. The consent ofboth parties 206 is required to engage in sex. The discussion in theroom takes complexity out of sexual relations 207. Consent 201 isverified with a press of button or an entry of a code in the consentverification app operating on the smartphone 208. All activities arerecorded and tagged with a time-date stamp and a geolocation, forexample GPS coordinates, then stored in the consent repository.

Moving to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrates an example of threedifferent repositories in a consent verification system 300. In someembodiments, the consent verification system 300 comprises a consent app310 operating on a mobile device 309. The consent app 310 is the userfacing or front end of the system and is configured to provide a useraccess via the mobile device 309 to a resources module 301, a consentmodule 303 and a journal module 306.

The resources module 301 can provide a resource repository 302, whichcan be used as guide to answers and information For example, theresource repository 302 can include, but is not limited to, websites,articles, hotlines, FAQs, definitions, hotlines, selected legalinformation, government agencies, contact information for supportgroups, and the like. In some embodiments, the resources repository 302can be updated by a system administer.

The resources module 301 can provide a guide to a victim, which can becritical to any later investigation when or if disclosure is ever madeby a victim. In addition, the resources module 301 can provide answersto what is harassment and what behavior constitutes harassment or abuse,so that a victim can better assess her/his situation.

The consent module 303 can provide a method for two consenting adults toenter into a physically intimate relationship with a mutual agreementthat confirms both individuals approve of the sexual act. For example,the consent module 303 can establish written sexual consent betweenparties both legally and in advance and is configured to store thecommunications between the parties with time and date stamps and to tageach communication with a GPS location, which is stored in the consentrepository 304.

The data in the consent repository 304 is encrypted and cannot bealtered, edited, or deleted by either party. Either party can accesstheir archives and review of one or more of their communications withanother party. Such a party can add notes to the communications, whichare date- and time-stamped in real time and are tagged with a GPSlocation and are stored in the consent repository 304. The notes becomepart of the archival record and cannot be altered, edited, or deleted inthe future.

Consent reports 305 is configured to create a report from the datastored in the consent repository 304. For example, a consent report 305can be generated from data stored in the consent repository 304, whichcan be limited to a date range, a geolocation or only one individual.Once the consent report 305 is generated, the user can review thereport, download the report, and/or print the consent report 305. Theconsent report 305 is configured to allow an addition of notes to agenerated consent report 305, which is time-date stamped and tagged witha GPS location, then stored with the generated consent report 305.

For example, the journal module 306 can be configured to allow a user tomake an entry as a record of an attacker's abuse (sexual and/orphysical) on a victim (the user). The journal module 306 prompts anentry that is a verifiable record of the abuse that remains confidentialuntil such time as the victim elects to take action. Entries of abuse inthe journal repository 307 cannot be altered, edited, or deleted by thevictim. The journal repository 307 can provide a record of “firstimpression” of the abuse, which can be valuable evidence for prosecutorsto use in criminal procedures or for dispute resolution forums.

In addition, the journal module 306 can provide a victim (the user) asafe space to record and decipher harassment experienced by the victim.The journal module 306 allow the victim to capture thedate/time/location of an incident moments after occurrence and enternotes about the harassment, all of which are stored in the journalrepository 307. The victim (the user) can text/call from the consent app310, the act of which can also be captured as a record in the journalrepository 307.

In some examples, the journal module 306 can access the microphone ofthe smartphone for the recording of an abuse event or a harassmentevent. The journal module 306 can access the camera of the smartphonefor making a video of the harassment event. First impression notes canbe added to either the audio record or the video record, all of whichare tagged with a time-date stamp and geolocation then stored in thejournal repository 307.

Journal reports 308 is configured to create a report from the datastored in the journal repository 307. For example, a journal report 308can be generated from data stored in the journal repository 307, whichcan be limited to a date range, a geolocation or only one individual.Once the journal report 308 is generated, the user can review thereport, download the report, and/or print the journal report 308. Thejournal report 308 is configured to allow an addition of notes to agenerated journal report 308, which is time-date stamped and tagged witha GPS location, then stored with the generated journal report 308.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary outline of access todata. In some embodiments, a database 400 can include an anonymized datareporting module 401. For example, the anonymized data reporting module401 can provide reports 402 designed to aid law enforcement, to raisesocietal awareness, and/or to discourage bad conduct. In someembodiments, a database 400 can include a resource module 403. Forexample, the resource module 403 can be designed to be a center 404 forinformation, clarification, definitions, and where to get help. In someembodiments, a database 400 can include an enforcement module 405. Forexample, the enforcement module 405 can be designed to providestatistical reports on consent, harassment, and/or abuse withoutdisclosing identifying information.

FIG. 5 is a relational diagram illustrating an exemplary use case 500 ofthe software architecture of the consent verification system. A user 501can initiate a particular use case by interfacing with the consent appvia a smartphone, as described herein. All the use cases described inFIG. 5 are initiated by the user 501. The use cases interact with anexternal Web Server and the results of a particular use case are storedin an appropriate repository.

A location manager 502 can be initiated automatically by the consent appfor a particular use case. Not all use cases initiate the locationmanager 502 (as discussed below). When the location manager 502 isinitiated, the GPS location of the smartphone is recorded for theparticular use case that has been initiated by the user 501. Thelocation manager 502 can connect the recorded GPS location to theparticular use case and the results of the particular use case alongwith the recorded GPS location are stored in an appropriate repository.In some aspects, when the location manager 502 is initiated, thetime-date (of the smartphone in addition to the GPS location) arerecorded for the particular use case that has been initiated by the user501. The location manager 502 can connect the time-date and the GPSlocation to the particular use case and the results of the particularuse case along with the recorded time-date stamp and GPS location arestored in the appropriate repository.

A login 505 use case allows the user 501 to login, which is registeredthrough a website. A profile 506 use case allows the user 501 to updatepersonal information, such as, but is not limited to, a profile image,first and last name, date of birth, gender, an email address, city,state, zip, pin and emergency code.

A journals 507 use case allows the user 501 to create a new journal (asdescribed herein), which can be updated to add further notes to ajournal entry. The journals 507 use case can provide an option to viewand edit a journal entry. In addition, the journals 507 use case canprovide an option to specify “things to consider” to assist the user 501while entering information to a new journal entry. The location manager502 records the smartphone's GPS location and a time-date stamp when theuser 501 creates a new journal entry or edits a journal entry stored ina journal repository. The GPS location and the time-date stamp aretagged to each journal entry (either a new journal entry or edits to anexisting journal entry) and are stored in the journal repository.

A reports 508 use case allows the user 501 to create a report from theconsent repository or the journal repository (as described herein). Thereports 508 use case can provide an option to view and edit an existingreport. The location manager 502 provides the GPS location and thetime-date stamp of the entries in the new report. A GPS location or thearea around a GPS location can be used as a search item in order togenerate a report of all entries having either the precise GPS locationor having occurred in an area around a GPS location.

An emergency communication 509 use case allows the user to add anemergency contact and an emergency code. The emergency communication 509use case allows the user to enter an emergency code, which activates anemergency message being sent to a linked contact, if the user feelsthreatened by another person in a potentially harmful situation or feelsforced to accept a consent request. The location manager 502 attachesthe GPS location and a time-date stamp to the emergency text message, sothe linked contact can seek or provide protection for the user. In someconfigurations, the emergency communication 509 use case can include a911 emergency code, which provide local authorities a distress message,the GPS location, the user's name and the other person's name. Uponactivation of the emergency code, the emergency text tagged with the GPSlocation and time-date stamp are stored in the journals repository. Ifthe system includes a 911 emergency code, the 911 text message taggedwith the GPS location and the time-date stamp is stored in the journalsrepository. In some configurations, emergency communication 509 caninclude sending a test message to the emergency contact, as discussedbelow. In some configurations, the adding of an emergency contactincludes creating the contents of the emergency text message.

A consent requests 510 use case allows the user to create and send a newconsent request to another person. Furthermore, the consent requests 510use case allows the user 501 to edit or withdraw the new consentrequest. The consent requests 502 use case provides the user 501notification of an incoming request from another person and allows theuser 501 to accept or decline the incoming request. The location manager502 records the smartphone's GPS location and the time-date for anyaction initiated by the consent request 510 use case. The GPS locationand the time-date are tagged to the action, all of which is stored in aconsent repository.

A share consent app 511 use case allows the user 501 to share the appwith a selected contact stored in the smartphone. A blocked users 512use case allows the user to block consent requests from a contact storedin the smartphone. The blocked users 512 use case allows the user 501 tounblock a blocked contact. A list of all blocked contacts can beaccessed through the blocked users 512 use case. A resources 513 usecase allows the user to access various resources, such as, but is notlimited to, websites, hotlines, definitions, hotlines, selected legalinformation, government agencies, contact information for supportgroups, and the like. These various resources in the resources 513 usecase can be updated during app software updates or by the WebServer.

In an example, a consent verification system can be built in N-tierarchitecture, which produces applications that are secure, reusable andeasily manageable. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a consent verificationsystem 600 can comprise a plurality of layers working together. Apresentation layer 601 comprises components that implement and display auser interface and manage the user interaction. The presentation layer601 provides the interface that the user sees and interacts with on theuser's smartphone. In an example, the presentation layer 601 can beconfigured to have a home screen with a plurality of active buttons,which allow the user to access functions in the business logic layer602. In some configurations, the presentation layer 601 can be theforward-facing component or front-end of the system.

The business logic layer 602 comprises all the core functionalities ofthe application.

For example, features like user management, consent management, journalsmanagement, and the like, are located in the business logic layer 602.The business logic layer 602 interfaces with presentation layer 601 toprovide information to the user and receive instructions from the user.The business logic layer 602 also interfaces with the data models layers603 to enter information and data received from the user interactionwith the system and to provide stored data to the user. In addition, thebusiness logic layer 602 interfaces with an ADO.Net database layer 604,email service layer 605, push notification service layer 606, SMS servelayer 607, and a common component layer 608. In some configurations, thebusiness logic layer 602, along with the ADO.Net database layer 604, theemail service layer 605, the push notification service layer 606, theSMS serve layer 607, and the common component layer 608 can be therear-facing component of the backend of the system.

The ADO.Net database layer 604 enables a relational data base usingdomain-specific objects. All code that is specific to the underlyingdata source, such as, for example, creating a connection to thedatabase, calling stored procedures for insert, update and delete, islocated in the ADO.Net database layer 604, which interfaces with thebusiness logic layer 602. The database model layer 603 can consist of aSQL Server (RDBMS) which persists in all the application-specific datasuch as, user information, a consent repository, a journal repository,and resources.

The email service layer 605 consists of methods for sending emails toend-users using SendGrid. The push notification service layer 606consists of methods for sending push notifications to end-users usingAzure Notification Hub. The SMS service layer 607 consists of methodsfor sending SMS to end-users using Twilio.

The common components layer 608 contains common libraries orfunctionality that can be used in any of the above layers. The commoncomponents layer 608 can comprise features such as, for example,authentication, security, exception handling, and logging.

Moving to FIG. 7, a block diagram illustrates components in a businesslogic layer 602. The consent verification system 600 can comprise apresentation layer 601 interfacing with a business logic layer 602interfacing with a data base layer 703. The business logic layer 602 cancomprise a user management module 705, a consent management module 706,a journal management module 707, a report management module 708, aresources management module 709, and a settings management module 710.

The user management module 705 can be configured to handle functionssuch as, for example, user signup, user login, email verification, phoneverification, and user deletion. The consent management module 706 canbe configured to handle consent requests including add, approve, andcancel functionalities. The consent management module 706 can interfacewith the consent repository. The journal management module 707 can beconfigured to handle a journal entry, along with time stamping, locationtagging and archiving the journal entry. The journal management module707 can interface with the journal repository.

The report management module 708 can be configured to allow a user togenerate a report from either the consent repository or the journalrepository. The report module 708 is in communication with one or moredatabases to pull the requested data, which is put into a report. Insome implementations of the system, an administrator can access thereport model 708 and request a report on a user or a report consistingof data from a group of users. For example, the administrator mayreceive a subpoena demanding a record of the user's activity with aparty that has received one or more consent requests from the user. Inanother example, the administrator may receive a subpoena demanding alljournal entries from a user related to a particular person, a timeperiod, and/or within a described geolocation. Examples of generatingreports consisting of data from a group of users can includecorporations monitoring to determine the risk exposure created by theactions of an employee to determine if a behavioral pattern exists,after the complaint is filed, for the person against whom the complaintis made. Furthermore, a report from a group of users can be used by ahuman resource department to determine if proactive measures, such astraining, or reorganization of staff, are needed.

The resources management module 709 can be configured to manage variousresources, such as, but is not limited to, websites, articles, hotlines,FAQs, definitions, hotlines, selected legal information, governmentagencies, contact information for support groups, and links to otherresources. The resources management module 709 interfaces with aresources database, which can be updated from time to time by theadministrator. The settings management module 710 is configured to enterand/or adjust various settings in the system, such as, for example,phone settings, blocked users, and do-not-disturb hours.

In reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, the home screen 100 and its plurality ofbuttons in a smart device is located in the presentation layer 601,which interfaces with the business logic layer 602. For example,activation of the journals button 103 accesses the journal managementmodule 707. Activation of reports management button 104 accesses thereport management module 708. Activation of the resources button 105accesses the resources management module 709. Activation of the settingsbutton 106 accesses the settings management module 710. Activation ofthe profile button 107 accesses the user management module 705.Activation of the blocked users button 108 accesses the settingsmanagement module 710. Activation of the consent request button 110accesses the consent management module 706.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 7, the various use cases 500 can be mappedto certain modules of business logic layer 602. The consent managementmodule 706 can provide the resources for the execution of the consentrequests 510 use case. In some configurations, the consent managementmodule 706 can provide the resources for the execution of the emergencycommunication 509 use case. The journal management module 707 canprovide the resources for the execution of the journals 507 use case. Insome configurations, the journal management module 707 can provide theresources for the execution of the emergency communication 509 use case.The report management module 708 can provide the resources for theexecution of the reports 508 use case. The resources management module709 can provide the resources for the execution of the resources 513 usecase. The settings management module 710 can provide the resources forthe execution of the profile 506 use case. In addition, the settingsmanagement module 710 can provide the resources for the execution of theblocked user 512 use case. In some configurations, the settingsmanagement module 710 can provide the resources for the execution of thelogin 505 use case.

Now turning to FIG. 8, a block diagram illustrates an exemplary databasestructure for a consent verification system. The database system 800comprises at least five independent databases, which are linked to auser account. The database system 800 can comprise a profile database801, a journal database 804, and a consent database 809.

The profile database 801 can comprise a profile core data 802 and anemergency core data 803. The profile core data 802 includes appropriateuser data, such as, but is not limited to, user name, address, date ofbirth, phone number, email, gender, user ID, user image, secret pin(acceptance code), and emergency code. One or more pieces of data in theprofile core data 802 can be automatically pulled from the user'ssmartphone. The emergency core data 803 includes emergency contactinformation. The emergency core data 803 is related to the emergencycode in the profile core data 802. The emergency core data 803 can bepulled from a selected contact in a user's contact list on the user'ssmartphone.

The journal database 804 comprises a journal core data 805, a journalnote (also referred to herein as “journal entry”) core data 806, ajournal version core data 807, and a “things to ask” core data 808. Thejournal core data 805 includes the journal name, the journal ID, thecreation date, and any date of modification. The journal core data 805is related to the journal note core data 806 and the date ofmodification is recorded by the journal note core data 806 then reportedto the journal core data 606. The journal note core data 806, thejournal version core data 807, and the things to consider core data 808are related to each other. In some embodiments, a journal repositorycomprises the journal database 804.

The consent database 809 comprises a consent request core data 810 andone or more user core data 811. The consent request core data 810includes data on consent requests created, sent, modified, withdrawn andreceived. The user core data 811 corresponds to the core data from theperson to whom a consent request was sent (as well as, modified orwithdrawn) or from whom a consent request was received by the user. Theuser core data 811 includes various identifying information from theperson and the text of any communications between the user and theperson regarding a consent request, of which each communication iselectronically stamped and tagged with the GPS location and time-date inreal time when such communication is created. In some embodiments, aconsent repository comprises the consent database 809.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary work flow of aforward-facing component 850 of a consent verification system. In someconfigurations, the forward-facing component 850 can be a consentverification application installed and operating on a smartphone. Theforward-facing component 850 interfaces with a rear-facing component,such as, for example, the exemplary rear-facing component 900illustrated in FIG. 10.

The forward-facing component 850 starts at a login 851, which requires auser to complete a sign up 854 routine upon the initial login. The signup can include phone number verification 855, which verifies thesmartphone that is running the consent verification application. Thesmartphone can receive a text message from the phone number verification855 that allows the user to move to profile 856. The user can fill in aform to create a profile 856. As described herein, the profile 856 caninclude, but is not limited to, at least one of a user name, a loginpassword, an acceptance code, a user phone number, a user email, a userdate of birth, a user gender, and a user address. In someconfigurations, the creating of the profile 856 can include an emailverification 858, which requests the user to enter the user's emailaddress. A code is sent to the user's email address, which is enteredinto the profile 856 to continue the creating the profile 856.

In addition, the profile 856 can include adding an emergency contact870. An emergency code can be created by the user, which when activatedsends an emergency text message tagged with the GPS location of thesmartphone to the emergency contact. In some configurations, the addingof an emergency contact 870 includes the creating of the contents of theemergency text message. In some configurations, the adding of theemergency contact 870 can include the sending a test message to theemergency contact, as discussed below. The adding of the emergencycontact 870 can be as simple as linking a contact from the smartphone tothe consent verification application. Of course, the of adding emergencycontact 870 can include more than one contact linked to the consentverification application. In some embodiments, the of adding anemergency contact 870 can include adding a 911 code, which, whenactivated, sends a distress message tagged with the GPS location of thephone, the user's name and the other person's name to a 911 call centerrequesting that authorities respond to a sexual assault happening to theuser by the other person at the GPS location.

If the user has been registered into the system, the login 851 takes theuser to a home page 852. The user can access 860 the profile 856 fromthe home page 852 to edit, modify, update, or delete the profile 856 andthen return 859 to the home page 852. From the home page 852, the usercan access resources 864, settings 862, share consent app 875, andblocked users 863, all of which have been described in detail herein.

From the home page 852, the user can access consent requests 865, whichallows the user to create and send a consent request to another person,withdraw a pending sent consent request, or reply (accept or deny) to areceived consent verification request from any other person. In someconfigurations, the consent requests 865 allows the user to modify asent request or to reply to a received request with a modified responseto the received request. All communications in the consent requests 865are in application communications between the user and the other person.In other words, all communications in the consent requests 865 areprivate and do not use the standard text messaging applicationsavailable on most smartphones.

All communications in the consent requests 865 are recorded and aretime-date stamped and tagged with the GPS of the smartphone then savedin a consent repository for each of the user and the other personinvolved in the communications. A review details 866 allows the user toreview details of at least one of a received consent request, a pendingsent consent request, and a withdrawn request. In some configurations,the user can activate the emergency code in the consent requests 865 tosend an emergency text with the GPS location to the emergency contact.

From the home page 852, the user can access journals 880, which allowsthe user to create, edit, and store one or more journal notes (alsoreferred to herein as “journal entries”). Add journal 881 allows theuser to create a new journal entry, which is time-dated stamped andtagged with the GPS location. A journal entry can be located usingjournal details 882. Once the journal entry is located, the journalentry can be viewed via view notes 885, then edit note 886 allows theuser to edit the journal entry, which is time-date stamped and taggedwith the GPS location. Add note 883 can comprise a virtual assistantthat asks the user questions, which are answered in the journal entrythus capturing the information needed to document a harassment or anabuse event experienced by the user. All journal entries including editsto journal entries and additions to journal entries are time-datestamped and tagged with a GPS location then stored in the journalrepository.

In some configurations, reports 890 allows the user to create a reportfrom the data stored in either the consent repository or the journalsrepository. For example, such a report could be generated from datastored in the consent repository based on the consent requestcommunications over a date range, the consent request communications ina geolocation or only on the communication with a particular individual.Likewise, a report could be generated from data stored in the journalsrepository based on the journal entries over a date range, the journalentries from a geolocation or only on the journal entries for aparticular individual. Once a report is generated, view reports 892allows the user to review the report, download the report, and/or printthe report. After a report has been generated, add notes to report 893allows the user to add notes to the report and the added notes aretime-date stamped and tagged with the GPS location, then stored with thereport in a report repository.

In some applications, the home page 852 can be substantially similar tothe exemplary home page 100, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Using thisexample, access to the profile 856 could be via the profile button 107on the home page 100. Access to the resources 864 could be via theresources button 10 on the home page 100. Access to the settings 862could be via the settings button 106 on the home page 100. Access to theblocked users 863 could be via the blocked users button 108 on the homepage 100. Access to the share request 875 could be via the share consentdepot button 111 on the home page 100. Access to the consent requests865 could be via the consent requests button 110 on the home page 100.Access to the journals 880 could be via the journals button 103 on thehome page 100. Access to the reports 890 could be via the reports button104 on the home page 100.

In some configurations, the front-facing component 850 can executevarious exemplary use cases, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Using thisexample, the login 851 can execute the login use case 505. The profile856 can execute the profile use case 506. The journals 880 can executethe journals use case 507. The reports 880 can execute the reports usecase 508. The call emergency contacts 872 can execute the emergencycommunication use case 509. The consent request 865 can execute theconsent requests use case 510. The share consent 872 can execute theconsent request use case 511. The blocked users 863 can execute theblocked users use case 512. The resources 864 can execute the resourcesuse case 513.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary WebServices of arear-facing component 900 of a consent verification system. In someconfigurations, the rear-facing component 900 can comprise a pluralityof application programming interfaces (“APIs”) operating in a cloudenvironment. The rear-facing component 900 interfaces with afront-facing component, such as, for example, the exemplary front-facingcomponent 850 illustrated in FIG. 9.A login 901 can comprise a login APIwhich requires a user, upon the initial login, to complete signup 904comprising a signup API. The sign up 904 can include phone numberverification 905, which employs various APIs to verify the smartphonerunning the consent verification application. The smartphone can receivea text message from the phone number verification 905 that allows theuser to move to profile 906, which comprises various APIs to create andupdate a user profile. In some configurations, the profile 906 caninclude an email verification 908, which employs various APIs thatrequest the user to enter the user's email address and then sends a codeto the user's email address, which is entered to allow the entry of theuser profile.

If the user has been registered into the system, the login 901 takes theuser to a home page 902. The user can access 910 the profile 906 fromthe home page 902 to edit, modify, update, or delete the user profileand then return 909 to the home page 902. From the home page 902, theuser can access resources 914, settings 912, and blocked users 912, allof which have been described in detail herein.

Referencing the forward-facing component 850 illustrated in FIG. 9, thelogin 851 interfaces with the APIs of the login 901. The sign up 854 caninterface with the APIs of the signup 904. The phone number verification855 can interface with the APIs of the phone number verification 905.The profile 856 can interface with the APIs of profile 906. The emailverification 858 can interface with the APIs of email verification 908.The home page 852 can interface with APIs of the home page 902. Theresources 864 can interface with the APIs of the resources 914. Thesettings 862 can interface with the APIs of the settings 912. Theblocked users 863 can interface with the APIs of the blocked users 913.

From the home page 902, the user can access consent requests 915, whichcomprise APIs that allows the user to control consent requests includingsynchronizing consent and updating consent requests. From the consentrequests 915, the APIs of request details 916 allows the user to reviewthe status of the pending and/or received consent requests. The APIs ofnew request 917 allows the user to create and send a consent request toanother person, withdraw a pending sent consent request, or reply(accept or deny) to a received consent verification request from anyother person. All communications related to consent requests aretime-date stamped and tagged with a GPS location then stored in theconsent request repository.

From the home page 902, the user can access journals 930, whichcomprises APIs that allow the user to create, edit, and store one ormore journal notes (also referred to herein as “journal entries”). Addjournal 931 comprises APIs that allow the user to create a new journalentry, which is time-dated stamped and tagged with the GPS location. Ajournal entry can be located using journal details 932. Once the journalentry is located, the journal entry can be viewed via view notes 935then edit note 936 comprises APIs that allow the user to edit thejournal entry, which is time-date stamped and tagged with the GPSlocation. Add note 933 comprises APIs, which provide a virtual assistantthat asks the user questions that are answered in the journal entry thuscapturing the information needed to document a harassment or an abuseevent experience by the user. All journal entries including edits tojournal entries and additions to journal entries are time-date stampedand tagged with a GPS location then stored in the journal repository.

From the home page 902, the user can access reports 940, which cancomprise APIs to create a report from the data stored in either theconsent repository or the journals repository. Add report 941 comprisesAPIs for generating a report generated from data stored in the consentrepository, which can be based on the consent request communicationsover a date range, the consent request communications in a geolocationor only on the communication with a particular individual. Likewise, addreport 941 comprises APIs for generating a report generated from datastored in the journals repository based on the journal entries over adate range, the journal entries from a geolocation or only on thejournal entries for a particular individual. Once a report is generated,view reports 942 allows the user to review the report, download thereport, and/or print the report. After a report has been generated, addnotes to report 943 comprises APIs, which allow the user to add notes tothe report and the added notes are time-date stamped and tagged with theGPS location, then stored with the report in a report repository.

Referencing, again, the forward-facing component 850 illustrated in FIG.9, the consent requests 865 interfaces with the APIs of the consentrequests 915 and the new request 917. The request details 866 interfacesthe APIs of the request details 916. The journals 880 interfaces withthe APIs of the journals 930. Likewise, add journal 881 interfaces withadd journal 931; journal details 882 interfaces with journal detail 932;view note 885 interfaces with view note 935; add note 883 interfaceswith add note 933; and edit note 886 interfaces with edit note 936. Thereports 890 interfaces with the APIs of the reports 940 and add report941. In addition, the view reports 892 interfaces with the view reports942; and the add notes to the report 893 interfaces with the add notesto the report 943.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 1000 ofcreating a profile for the consent verification system. Note that boxesoutlined in dashed lines are optional steps, which may or may not beincluded in various embodiments of the method 1000. A START 1001 of themethod 1000 is an installation step 1002. The installation step 1002 caninclude a user downloading a consent verification application onto amobile device (such as a smartphone or smart tablet) and installing theapplication onto the mobile device. The create password step 1003 thenfollows. The create password step can include a user creating a passwordand then entering the user's phone number.

This is followed by a phone number verification step 1004. The consentverification application sends the entered phone number to a webserverof consent verification system. The webserver verifies the entered phonenumber. If the result of the phone verification step 1004 is NO, then goto STOP 1005. If the result of the phone verification step 1004 is YES,then continue to a create profile step 1006.

The create profile step 1006 can include entering personal data, suchas, but is not limited to, name, address, date of birth, gender, etc.The personal data can be entered by filling forms generated by theapplication. The personal data can include an email address.

The create profile step 1006 can be followed by a create requestacceptance password step 1009. However, optional step of verification ofemail step 1007 can be placed between these two steps. In theverification of email step 1007, the application sends the entered emailto the webserver, which verifies the entered email address. If theresult of the email verification step 1007 is NO, then go to STOP 1008.If the result of the email verification step 1007 is YES, then continueto the create acceptance password step 1009.

The create acceptance password step 1009 includes the user entering asecret password, which is used to accept a consent request. The nextstep is to create the emergency password 1010, in which the user createsa separate password, which is activated if the user feels threatened byanother person in a potentially harmful situation and feels forced toaccept a consent request. This step is followed by a link contact step1011. In this step the user links one or more contacts, which are storedon the mobile device, to the emergency contact password. This allows thelinked contact to receive an emergency text message from the user whenthe emergency password is activated.

In optional customize emergency message step 1016, the applicationallows the user to customize the emergency text message and stored it inthe application. In optional add 911 password step 1015, the applicationallows the user to add a 911 password, which when activated send adistress text message to a 911 service pleading for police assistance toprevent harm or to intervene for an assault in progress to the user.

After the link contact 1011, go to STOP 1020. However, optional testemergency password step 1018 can be included in some variations of themethod. The test emergency password allows the user to activate theemergency password in a test mode which sends the emergency text to alinked contact. This step provides a level of assurance to the user thatthe emergency password works. In addition, the user can communicate withthe linked contact to confirm receipt of the emergency text then discusswhat the emergency text means and what appropriate action should betaken to help the user out of a threatening situation.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 1100 of aconsent verification, according to various embodiments. To START 1101the method 1100, a user sending a consent message 1102. For example, theuser sends a consent message to another person and the consent messageis time-date stamped, tagged with the GPS location and stored in theuser's consent repository. Then the message is received 1103. Theconsent message is received by the other person and the message istime-date stamped, tagged with the GPS location and stored in theperson's consent repository. The user can withdraw the consent messageat any time. Does user withdraw the consent message 1104 to the person?If YES, then goes to STOP1105.

If NO, does the person respond 1106 to the consent message? If theperson denies then the user is sent a denial message 1115, which is timestamped and tagged with the GPS location then stored in the person'sconsent repository. The denial message is received by the user and istime stamped and tagged with the GPS location then stored in the user'sconsent repository. Then does the person block the user 1116 from anyfuture contact? If YES, the system blocks the user 1117 from usercontact with the person, which is time stamped and tagged with the GPSlocation and stored in the person's repository. The method then goes toSTOP 1110. If NO, then go to STOP 1100.

In some embodiments, all attempts to contact the person by a blockeduser are recorded with a time-date stamp and a geolocation and stored inthe person's journal repository. The person can generate a report fromthe journal repository to determine if the blocked user is cyberstalking the person. In some embodiments, all attempts to contact theperson by a blocked user are recorded with a time-date stamp and ageolocation by the administrator and stored in a database. Upon arequest (from the person, a court, or other entity), the administratorcan provide a report on the activities of the blocked user involving theperson including the attempts to contact the person after the user hasbeen blocked.

If the person accepts, then the person enters their unique acceptancecode, which is time stamped, tagged with the GPS location and stored inthe person's consent repository 1108. The accepted consent message isreceived 1109 by the user and is time stamped, tagged with the GPSlocation and stored in the user's consent repository. Then the methodgoes to STOP1110.

Optionally, the person replies by sending the user a revised consentmessage 1120, which is time stamped, tagged with GPS location and storedin the person's consent repository. The revised consent message isreceived by the user 1121, which is time stamped, tagged with GPSlocation and stored in the user's consent repository. Does the userrespond 1122 to the revised consent message? If the user accepts, theuser enters the user's unique acceptance code 1107 the accepted messageis received by the person 1108, which is time stamped, tagged with GPSlocation and stored in the person's consent repository. The acceptanceis recorded in the user's consent repository 1109, which is timestamped, tagged with GPS location and stored in the person's consentrepository. Then the method stops 1110. If the user denies, then go toSTOP1110. If the user replies, then go back to the top of the flowchartwhere user sends consent message 1102 to another person.

In one optional application, if the person does not have the consentverification application on their smartphone when the method starts1101, the user can send the person an invitation 1130 to download theapplication. Next, does the person download the consent verificationapplication 1131 and register? If YES, then go to message received 1103.If NO, then go to STOP1132

If the person feels unsafe when the consent message is received 1103 bythe person, then go to B 1911, which is described in FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart that is connected to the flow chart of FIG. 12,which illustrates methods of emergency communication. B 1911 is thestart of a method of sending an emergency communication 1200. The userhas trapped the person in an unsafe environment? If NO, then go to STOP1202. If YES, then the person enters an emergency code 1210 into theconsent verification application. The consent verification applicationsends an emergency text message, along with the person's GPS location toan emergency contact 1211. The emergency contact receives the emergencytext and the GPS location 1212. Does the emergency contact take action?If NO, go to STOP 1214. If YES, the emergency contact intervenes toprotect the person from the user 1215. Then the method goes to STOP1214.

In some configurations, the method 1200 also comprises sending adistress message to a 911 call center. For example, has the user trappedthe person in an unsafe environment? If YES, the person enters a 911code into the consent verification application. The consent verificationapplication sends a distress message to a 911 call center 1221. Thedistress message can comprise the person's name, the user's name, theGPS location and a text message alerting the authorities that a sexualassault is in progress. The 911 call center receives the distressmessage 1222. The 911 call center sends a crime in process code, theperson's name, the user's name, and the GPS location to the localpolice. 1223. The police intervene to protect the person from the userand may prevent a sexual assault 1224. Then the method goes to STOP1225.

The methods and systems for consent verification, as disclosed herein,can be employed in numerous different applications. Such methods andsystems for consent verification can be employed by individuals as wellas by corporations, academic institutions, health care facilities, andgovernmental agencies.

In a corporate environment, a consent verification system can beconfigured to collect data anonymously. However, the data can beanalyzed after a complaint to determine if a behavioral pattern existsfor the person against whom the complaint is made. This analysis canhelp a company determine the risk exposure created by an employee ordecide if proactive measures, such as training, or reorganization ofstaff are needed. In a corporate environment, a journal entry related toan employee can also be viewed with proper consent by the company toidentify brewing issues related to harassment.

Various embodiments provide a method for initiating and storing consentverification between a user and another person planning to engage in anintimate activity. The method can include the steps of preparing aconsent request by the user; sending the consent request to the person;time-stamping the sending the consent request with the time and date;recording the GPS location of the sending of the consent request; andreceiving the consent request by the other person.

The method can include the steps of: preparing a consent response by theperson; sending the consent response to the user; time-stamping thesending the consent response with the time and date; recording the GPSlocation of the sending the consent response; and storing the consentresponse tagged with the time stamp and the recorded GPS location, inboth the database for the user and the database for the other person.

In some embodiments, the method can include the steps of: accepting theconsent request by the person; agreeing to the consent request to engagein intimate activity between the user and the other person;time-stamping the agreeing to the consent request with the time anddate; recording the GPS location of the agreeing to the consent request;and receiving the agreeing to the consent request by the user; storingthe agreeing to the consent request tagged with the time stamp and therecorded GPS location, in both the database for the user and thedatabase for the other person.

In some embodiments, a consent verification system comprising: a consentrequest module configured to provide private consent communication anddocument consent verification between a user and another person planningto engage in an intimate activity, and to store all the consentcommunications and the consent verification tagged with a GPS locationand a time-date stamp in a consent repository; a journal moduleconfigured to record a journal entry documenting harassment or abuseperpetrated by another on the user, and to store the journal entrytagged with a GPS location and a time-date stamp in a journalrepository; a reports module configured to generate a report from datastored in at least one of the consent repository and the journalrepository; and a resources module configured to educate the user onleast one of consent, sexual harassment, abuse, and assistance, and tostore resources for least one of consent, sexual harassment, abuse, andassistance in a resources repository

The consent verification system can further comprise a user profilecomprising an emergency contact and at least one of a user name, a userphone number, a user email, a user date of birth, a user gender, and auser address.

The consent verification system can further comprise an emergency codeconfigured to automatically send an emergency text message and a GPSlocation to the emergency contact upon activation. In someconfigurations, the emergency text is tagged with the GPS location and atime-date stamp and stored in the journal repository.

The consent verification system can further comprise a 911 codeconfigured to automatically send a distress text message, a GPSlocation, the user's name and the other person's name to a 911 callcenter. In some configurations, the distress text message is tagged withthe GPS location and the time-date stamp and stored in the journalrepository.

In some configurations, the resources repository comprises at least oneof a website, an article, a hotline, a definition, legal information,contact information for government agencies, and contact information forsupport groups. In some configurations, the journal module furthercomprises a virtual assistant configured to prompt the user to enterinformation into a new journal entry.

Some embodiments provide a method for initiating and storing consentverification between a user and another person to engage in an intimateactivity.

The method comprises: preparing a consent request by the user; sendingthe consent request to the person; time-stamping the sending of theconsent request with the time and date; recording the GPS location ofthe sending of the consent request; and receiving the consent request bythe other person; storing the consent request tagged with the time stampand the recorded GPS location, in both a database for the user and adatabase for the person.

The method can further comprise further preparing a consent response bythe other person; sending the consent response to the user;time-stamping the sending the consent response with the time and date;recording the GPS location of the sending of the consent response; andstoring the consent response tagged with the time stamp and the recordedGPS location, in both the database for the user and the database for theother person.

The method further comprises ignoring the consent request by the person.The method further comprises blocking the user from contacting theperson. The method further comprises storing an identity of the userblocked the person in a profile of the person.

The method further comprises unblocking the user and allowing the userto contact the person. The method comprises sending a notice to the userthat the other person has blocked the user from further contact.

The method further comprises: withdrawing the consent request by theuser; time-stamping the withdrawing of the consent request with the timeand date; recording the GPS location of the withdrawing of the consentrequest; and receiving a withdrawal of the consent request by theperson; storing the withdrawal of the consent request tagged with thetime stamp and the recorded GPS location, in both the database for theuser and the database for the other person.

The method further comprises sending by the user a link for installing aconsent verification application on a device of another person.

The method further comprises accepting the consent request by the otherperson; agreeing to the consent request to engage in the intimateactivity between the user and the other person; time-stamping theagreeing to the consent request with the time and date; recording theGPS location of the agreeing to the consent request; and receivingconfirmation of the agreeing to the consent request by the user; storingthe agreeing to the consent request tagged with the time stamp and therecorded GPS location, in both the database for the user and thedatabase for the other person.

The method can further comprise revising terms of the consent request bythe user; adding the revised terms to the consent response; and storingthe revised terms of the consent response tagged with the time stamp andthe recorded GPS location, both the database for the user and thedatabase for the other person.

The method can further comprise preparing a consent answer to therevised terms of the consent response by the user; sending the consentanswer to the person; time-stamping the sending the consent answer withthe time and date; recording the GPS location of the sending of theconsent answer; and storing the consent answer tagged with the timestamp and the recorded GPS location, both in the database for the userand the database for the other person.

The method further comprises accepting the consent response by the user;agreeing to the revised terms of the consent response to engage in theintimate activity between the user and the other person; time-stampingthe agreeing to the revised terms of the consent response with the timeand date; recording the GPS location of the agreeing to the revisedterms of the consent response; and receiving the agreeing to the revisedterms of the consent response by the other person; storing the agreeingto the revised terms of the consent response tagged with the time stampand the recorded GPS location, in both the database for the user and thedatabase for the other person.

Some embodiments provide a consent verification system comprising: aconsent request module comprising a smartphone application configured toprovide in-app text communication and documentation of consentverification between a user and another person; a consent repositoryconfigured to store all in-app text communications tagged with a GPSlocation and a time-date stamp; a journal module configured to record anin-app journal entry documenting harassment or abuse perpetrated byanother on the user; a journal repository configured to store all in-appjournal entries, each journal entry tagged with a GPS location and atime-date stamp; a reports module configured to generate a report fromdata stored in at least one of the consent repository and the journalrepository; and a resources module comprising at least one of a website,an article, a hotline, a definition, legal information, contactinformation for government agencies, and contact information for supportgroups.

The methods and systems for consent verification can comprise a consentverification app, which can be downloaded onto a smartphone and employedas a user interface into the consent verification system. The consentverification app is designed to be user-friendly and can be universallyavailable through, for example, Apple or Google (Android) sources.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” can beconstrued to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical“or;” however, it can be construed to mean (A, B, and C); in addition,it can be construed to mean (A and B) or (A and C) or (B and C). As usedherein, the phrase “A, B and/or C” should be construed to mean (A, B,and C) or alternatively (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical“or.”

The present invention has been described above with reference to variousexemplary embodiments and examples, which are not intended to belimiting in describing the full scope of systems and methods of thisinvention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize thatequivalent changes, modifications and variations of the embodiments,materials, systems, and methods may be made within the scope of thepresent invention with substantially similar results and are intended tobe included within the scope of the present invention, as set forth inthe following claims.

1. A method for initiating and storing consent verification between auser and another person to engage in an intimate activity, the methodcomprising: preparing a consent request by the user; sending the consentrequest to the other person; time-stamping the sending of the consentrequest with the time and date; recording the GPS location of thesending of the consent request; and receiving the consent request by theother person; storing the consent request tagged with the time stamp andthe recorded GPS location, in a user database and a database for theperson.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:preparing a consent response by the other person; sending the consentresponse to the user; time-stamping the sending the consent responsewith the time and date; recording the GPS location of the sending of theconsent response; and storing the consent response tagged with the timestamp and the recorded GPS location, in the user database and thedatabase for the other person.
 3. The method according to claim 1,further comprising ignoring the consent request by the person.
 4. Themethod according to claim 3, further comprising blocking the user fromcontacting the person.
 5. The method according to claim 4, furthercomprising storing an identity of the user blocked by the person in aprofile of the person.
 6. The method according to claim 4, furthercomprising unblocking the user and allowing the user to contact theperson.
 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:withdrawing the consent request by the user; time-stamping thewithdrawing of the consent request with the time and date; recording theGPS location of the withdrawing of the consent request; receiving awithdrawal of the consent request by the person; and storing thewithdrawal of the consent request tagged with the time stamp and therecorded GPS location, in the user database and the database for theother person.
 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingsending by the user a link for installing a consent verificationapplication on a device of another person.
 9. The method according toclaim 2, further comprising: accepting the consent request by the otherperson; agreeing to the consent request to engage in the intimateactivity between the user and the other person; time-stamping theagreeing to the consent request with the time and date; recording theGPS location of the agreeing to the consent request; receivingconfirmation of the agreeing to the consent request by the user; andstoring the agreeing to the consent request tagged with the time stampand the recorded GPS location, in the user database and the database forthe other person.
 10. The method according to claim 2, furthercomprising: revising terms of the consent request by the user; addingthe revised terms to the consent response; and storing the revised termsof the consent response tagged with the time stamp and the recorded GPSlocation, in the user database and the database for the other person.11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: preparing aconsent answer to the revised terms of the consent response by the user;sending the consent answer to the person; time-stamping the sending theconsent answer with the time and date; recording the GPS location of thesending of the consent answer; and storing the consent answer taggedwith the time stamp and the recorded GPS location, the user database andthe database for the other person.
 12. The method according to claim 10,further comprising: accepting the consent response by the user; agreeingto the revised terms of the consent response to engage in the intimateactivity between the user and the other person; time-stamping theagreeing to the revised terms of the consent response with the time anddate; recording the GPS location of the agreeing to the revised terms ofthe consent response; and receiving the agreeing to the revised terms ofthe consent response by the other person; storing the agreeing to therevised terms of the consent response tagged with the time stamp and therecorded GPS location, the user database and the database for the otherperson.
 13. A method for initiating and storing consent verificationbetween a user and a person to engage in an intimate activity, themethod comprising: accessing a consent verification app on a device,wherein the consent verification app comprises a user profile and aconsent request module configured to provide in-app consentcommunication between the user and the person; entering a username,texting ID for the device, an emergency contact, an emergency code, anda 911 code into the user profile; and storing the entered username,texting ID, emergency contact, emergency code, and 911 code in a userdatabase.
 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:sending a consent request from the user to the person; tagging theconsent request with a GPS location and a time-date stamp of when it wassent; receiving the consent request by the person; and storing theconsent request tagged with a GPS location and a time-date stamp, in theuser database and a database for the person.
 15. The method according toclaim 14, further comprising: sending a reply to the consent requestfrom the person to the user; accepting a meeting with the user by theperson; tagging the reply with a GPS location and a time-date stamp ofwhen it was sent; receiving the reply by the user; and storing the replytagged with the GPS location and the time-date stamp, in the userdatabase and the database for the person.
 16. The method according toclaim 15, further comprising: adding a GPS location and a time-date ofthe meeting; and storing the meeting tagged with the GPS location andthe time-date of the meeting, in the user database and the database forthe person.
 17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:engaging in the meeting with the person; activating the emergency code;and sending an emergency text message and a GPS location to theemergency contact upon activation of the emergency code.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 17, further comprising: tagging the emergency textwith the GPS location and a time-date stamp; and storing the emergencytext tagged with the GPS location and a time-date stamp in the userdatabase.
 19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:engaging in the meeting with the person; activating the 911 code; andsending a distress text message with a GPS location, a name of the userand a name of the person to a 911 call center upon activation of the 911code.
 20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: taggingthe distress text with the GPS location and a time-date stamp; andstoring the distress text tagged with the GPS location and a time-datestamp in the user database.